1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to gas detection methods and apparatii, and more particularly relates to an apparatus and method for detecting combustible gases present inside the cabin of a bi-fuel automotive vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bi-fuel vehicles are known in the art, and comprise automobiles and larger commercial vehicles with multifuel engines, often retrofitted to run on two different fuels, such a gasoline and natural gas (CNG), diesel and methane, or the like. Other fuels include LPG and hydrogen. The two fuels are stored in separate fuel tanks inside the vehicle, and a driver switches back-and-forth between them manually. In some embodiments, the vehicle is configured to automatically switch between the two fuels when one fuel reaches a state of depletion. In most embodiments, the vehicle runs on one fuel at a time, but flexible-fuel vehicles (“dual-fuel”) are also known in the art, which comprise engines configured to run on different fuels mixed together in the same tank.
As bi-fuel vehicles become more engrained in mainstream society, drivers face a growing number of safety, maintenance and mechanical issues unique to bi-fuel vehicles, including the possibility of combustible gases used to power the bi-fuel vehicle leaking into the cabin of the vehicle itself. Natural gas, or CNG, naturally cannot be detected by the human sense of smell, and even small quantities can combust, asphyxiate, burn or kill the bi-fuel driver and/or passengers. Other gas fuels can be equally dangerous, including methane and hydrogen.
Bi-fuel vehicles known in the art comprise no means of detecting gas leaking into the cabin of the vehicle, of alerting drivers to its presence, or of adjusting vehicle operations in response to the gas detection.